ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE ATHLETIC COMMITTEE

FOR FY-08

 

  

STANDING CHARGES

 1.       Help to ensure that KU promotes and maintains academic excellence, as it pertains to Athletics. Specifically, the committee should:

1. Identify potential barriers to student athlete integration into curricular and extra-curricular activities, and recommend mechanisms to overcome such barriers;
2. Recommend campus initiatives targeting academic success of student athletes, to include consideration of programs, facilities and infrastructure requirements;
3. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to increase community awareness of issues such as Academic Progress Rate (APR), progress towards degree and similar regulations;
4. Review and advise on-going academic programs at the Hale Center for Academic Achievement;
5. Review, summarize and disseminate KUAC reports identifying academic parameters including but not limited to spring and fall grades by sport, graduation rates by sport, academic progress, and academic honors and awards to student athletes.

ISSUES AND ACTIONS RECOMMENDED:

 

Student-athletes’ academic progress is overseen by Associate Athletics Director for Student Support Paul Buskirk. The committee visited with Buskirk and his staff of advisers in the Hale Center for Academic Achievement, and observed tutoring with student athletes.  Buskirk supplied statistics required by the NCAA on APR as well as gpa and graduation rates by team (see Appendix).  We expect to be provided with evidence concerning academic honors and awards before year’s end, as well.  The committee heard reports from student athletes about their academic support.  From this evidence it appears that student athletes are well served by the academic support and advising programs devised by Athletics.

In Spring 2007 all sports combined for a 3.02 gpa, 247 student atheletes (61%) achieved gpas of 3.0 or above, which are all time records, and in Fall 2007 a gpa of 2.93 was achieved, which is a record for Fall semester.  That said, football maintains the lowest gpa at 2.69 for Spring and a worrisome 2.39 for Fall. On the other end, Women’s Golf was the highest in Spring and Fall with 3.37 and 3.44, respectively.

 

The committee is concerned about four issues: (1) all student athletes face some barriers to participation in some majors because of scheduling of practices and competitions, but in some sports these barriers are severe.  One problem is the timing of classes and labs.  (2) The other problem is the excessive absences required by some sports, Men’s Baseball being the most egregious example. The committee was not able to obtain hard data about absences for this report; we suggest that the committee monitor this closely next year. (3) The NCAA regulation of “academic progress” as measured by the APR does not allow flexibility for students to change majors or to pursue “risky” majors that may not work out for them.  The APR seems to guarantee that student athletes will stay on course to major in some degree, but it inhibits the kind of intellectual exploration that other students can enjoy. (4) The graduation rates of Black and male student athletes lag behind those of white student athletes, female student athletes, and all students. The men’s baseball and basketball teams are below 50% for the Graduation Success Rate, which takes account of transfers in (which are counted) and out (which are not counted). These numbers are troubling. The committee should continue to monitor and inquire about how this problem is being addressed.

 

Actions recommended:

1) Associate Athletics Director Paul Buskirk is to be commended for his work with student athletes.

 

2) Inform scheduling officers of departments about the scheduling issues of student athletes and urge them to offer required major courses at some times that student athletes would be able to complete those courses.  Compliance with this request should be communicated with advisors to student athletes so that those majors can be offered to student athletes as potential areas of study for them.

 

3) Request the FAR to the Big XII and the NCAA to urge those bodies to craft a more flexible measure that permits intellectual exploration (i.e., changing majors) while prohibiting student athletes from getting by in easy and pointless courses.

 

4) Look into how the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Hale Student Achievement Center can collaborate on issues of mutual interest (e.g., lunch and conversation on “Teaching and advising student athletes”)

 

 

2.       Help to ensure that KU provides a premiere student athlete experience. Specifically, the committee should:

1. Recommend mechanisms to enable broader discussions of opportunities to improve the student athlete experience
2. Provide peer review of programs designed to ensure the academic success, personal development, and personal welfare of student athletes
3. Review, summarize and disseminate KUAC reports identifying student wellness parameters including but not limited to drug testing practices and policies, nutrition and physical health, psychological and emotional well being, and social integration
4.  

ISSUES AND ACTIONS RECOMMENDED:

 

Two members of the USAC participated in the subcommittee of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Athletics in which programs for student athlete health, nutrition, and wellness were discussed by student athletes.

 

A faculty mentoring program has existed for many years, but is being revived by the efforts of Prof. Joy Ward. The mission of the Faculty Mentor Program is to increase the graduation rate and retention of student athletes, while enhancing their academic experience at KU and preparing them for long-term success in their chosen professions. Prof. Ward provided the committee with an overview of the goals of the program. The Committee urges University Senate to support this effort.

 

The Committee received reports regarding student health and wellness, including medical care and drug testing. The Committee did not disseminate these reports and is uncertain how or to whom that should be done. However, the issue of drug testing is one that the Committee should explore next year. It was reported that a prominent football player, who was selected in the first round of the NFL draft, had tested positive three times for marijuana use, yet did not receive a year’s suspension as required by the NCAA. Apparently these were not counted as the official tests for the NCAA, but that raises the question about what good the NCAA testing program does if the institution can choose which tests will count as official tests.

 

The major issue in this standing charge in the view of the Committee is social integration with the campus community. Advising and tutoring is done among student athletes only, and this discourages student athletes from studying or socializing with non-athletes. The issue about certain majors not being available to student athletes is another bar to social integration.

 

Recommendations:

 

1) Joy Ward and the faculty mentors are to be commended for their good work with student athletes.

 

2) The faculty should be surveyed regarding their experience with and interest in intercollegiate athletics in order to build a database of potential faculty mentors for student athletes as well as future members of the USAC.

 

3) The Committee should review drug testing policies.

 

4) The Committee should investigate how it can help to build bridges between campus and Athletics on co-curricular issues to aid integration of student athletes into the student population.

 

 

 

3.       Help to ensure that KU maintains athletic compliance excellence. Specifically, the committee should:

1. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to ensure the KU community better understands our combined responsibility for compliance
2. Review, summarize and disseminate KUAC reports identifying athletic compliance parameters including but not limited to ten day absence policies, academic screening practices and recruiting practices

ISSUES AND ACTIONS RECOMMENDED:

 

Several members of the Committee sit on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Athletics, where Teresa Becker, the Athletics staff member in charge of NCAA Compliance, regularly reports. This year there have been no new significant compliance issues.

 

One apparent issue is that it is perfectly within NCAA rules for student athletes to seek waivers to the APR standard. However, these are often done for foreign students who must take Applied English Courses that prevent them from making official progress as measured by the APR. The Committee thought that the requested waivers were for legitimate academic reasons.

 

Recommendations:

The Committee has no recommendations other than to commend Teresa Becker for her excellent work. She has clearly built a culture in Athletics that is committed to compliance.

 

 

4.       Help to ensure that KU strategic goals pertaining to athletics are accomplished with attention to Title IX goals. Specifically, the committee should:

1. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to ensure the KU community better understands our combined responsibility for Title IX compliance
2. Review and summarize the use of student fee generated funds for NCAA and club sports
3. Recommend priorities for campus program investments to ensure future success of broad Title IX initiatives
4. Review, summarize and disseminate KUAC reports identifying Title IX compliance parameters

 

ISSUES AND ACTIONS RECOMMENDED:

 

Two members of the USAC also sit on the Title IX subcommittee for the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Athletics. The subcommittee met with Title IX Compliance legal consultant, Lamar Daniels, to discuss compliance issues. Participation rates, coaching, and salaries are in full compliance. There is an outstanding issue with the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education concerning facilities, however.  Soccer, softball, and rowing do not have fully adequate facilities. A boathouse is currently under construction that will fully address the concerns about rowing. Lights are being installed in the softball facility, but there are remaining needs to fully comply. The soccer field needs to be upgraded and there are no clear current plans to do so.

 

Student Senate implemented a $80 per year fee which generates $2 million to help fund the boathouse and other needs for non-revenue women’s sports. (This boathouse, it should be noted, will also be used by Crew, a club sport.) This fee was reconsidered this year, but was continued. However, it is a legitimate question why the students as a whole are being asked to fund facilities for Athletics when they have considerable outside funds.  There is a $30 million facility currently under construction for football, for example.  The response from Athletics is that Title IX is an issue for the entire University, not just Athletics, and therefore the University community as a whole should pay for it. If Athletics were found to be not in compliance with Title IX, federal funding for the entire University would be jeopardized.

 

The Committee considered Club Sports and their funding. Students pay $3 per year to support Club Sports. There were 732 students in 24 sport clubs in 2006-7. They received a total funding of $143,662. Club Sports are run through Student Recreation Services, and there is one full time staff member in charge of overseeing the operation. Clubs must have bylaws and officers, submit budgets, and raise most of their funds on their own.  Club Sports are open to all students, and so do not seem to raise a Title IX issue, even though there are almost twice as man men participating as women.  It should be noted, however, that women far outnumber men in fitness classes offered by Student Recreation Services.

 

Recommendations: University Senate should support efforts to raise funds targeted toward women’s sports facilities in need of construction or upgrade.

 

 

 

 

5.       Help to ensure that KU maintains a premier community experience, balancing physical and intellectual pursuits. Specifically, the committee should:

1. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to enhance the balance between academics and athletics, as well as to promulgate broad understanding of the goals and priorities of each
2. Recommend advertising and outreach strategies to ensure broad KU goals and ideals are well represented
3. Recommend mechanisms to promote and respect KU tradition
4. Recommend mechanisms for improved communication between KUAC and faculty, staff and students.
5. Work with KUAC to avoid potentially divisive issues of personal interest to many faculty, staff and students, to include ticket distribution and pricing policies, ticket transfer policies, and the communication thereof.
6. Recommend strategies for building community and alumni relations

ISSUES AND ACTIONS RECOMMENDED:

 

During the fall semester football ticket distribution for one game resulted in students camping out overnight in front of Allen Fieldhouse and then missing classes in order to get limited tickets. Subsequently the Orange Bowl ticket distribution scheme was scheduled to conflict with classes.  A faculty member brought this to the attention of the Chair of this Committee, who communicated with Athletics to change the distribution scheme so as not to interfere with classes.

 

There seem to be serious concerns nationally about the understanding and perception of Athletics departments/corporations within university communities. The Knight Commission held a summit in fall 2007 in Washington, DC on faculty perceptions of athletics that was streamed live. Some members of the Committee watched this video. The main issues seem to be a lack of understanding of the goals and diversity of student athletes in terms of their abilities and interests as students, and a lack of knowledge by faculty and the general public of the funding of athletics. The executive summary is included in the Appendix.

 

The Committee also took up the question of whether to joint COIA, the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics.  The Committee decided that they are doing good, important work on crucial issues regarding intercollegiate athletics. 

 

Recommendations:

1) Join COIA if a member of the Committee can be sent to the annual meetings. The Committee should continue to monitor the position papers of COIA.

 

2) Commend the work of Prof. Susan Twombley, chair of the Basketball Ticket Committee, and its other members.

 

3) Urge Athletics to avoid ticket distribution schemes that require students to miss classes in order to be assured of a student ticket to any Athletics sporting event.

 

4) Sponsor a University Dialogues Series, modeled on the series about evolution in 2006-7, together with Athletics, the Office of the Provost (Student Success), HSES and other interested departments, about the role of intercollegiate sports in the university community.

 

6.       Work with the University Senate Calendar Committee to avoid conflicts in long-term academic and athletic calendars.

ISSUES AND ACTIONS RECOMMENDED:

 

The Committee did not address this charge this year.

 

7.       Maintain regular communications with the NCAA/Big XII Faculty Representative, the Chancellor’s advisory committee on athletics, KUAC and University Governance to ensure the needs of each are being served.

ISSUES AND ACTIONS RECOMMENDED:

 

The FAR is an ex-officio member of the Committee, attended all its meetings, and held periodic meetings with the Chair of this Committee in addition to performing his duties of reporting to the Chancellor. The structure of the USAC seems to be working well to this point to improve communication between University Senate and Athletics.